Other arrangements of Southern Man
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South ern man, bet ter keep your head,
don’t for get what your Good Book said.
South ern change gon na come at last,
now your cross es are burn in’ fast,
(Dm)South ern man.
I saw cot ton and I saw (Gm)black,
tall white man sions and lit tle shacks;
South ern man, when will you pay them (Gm)back?
I heard scream in’ and bull whips crack in’.
How long, how long?
Ah!
South ern man, bet ter keep your head,
don’t for get what your Good Book said.
South ern change gon na come at last,
now your cross es are burn in’ fast,
(Dm)South ern man.
Lil y Belle, your is gold en (Gm)brown,
I’ve seen your black man com ing ’round,
swear, by God, I’m gon na cut him (Gm)down!
I heard scream in’ and bull whips crack in’.
How long, how long?
Ah!
Southern Man — Classic Piano Sheet Music
10 people have learned this song
Read "Southern Man" by Neil Young in classic piano notation — both hands, real chords + notes, in the published key of D. Engraved server-side from the publisher MusicXML; click any note to jump there as the score follows along at 80 BPM.
Tip: Use the speed control to practice at 70% tempo first. Focus on tricky chord transitions before attempting the full arrangement.
Try other practice modes:
About “Southern Man”
- Is this the same engraved sheet music a piano teacher would print for "Southern Man"?
- Yes — the score is rendered server-side from the publisher MusicXML using Verovio (the same engine RISM and OpenScore use). Standard piano notation, treble + bass staves, real chord symbols, key signature D. Print-quality and identical to what you'd see in a printed piano book.
- What key is "Southern Man" by Neil Young played in?
- Southern Man is arranged in the key of D on Super Simple Piano. You can transpose to any other key live in the player.
- What's the tempo (BPM) of "Southern Man"?
- The arrangement plays at 80 BPM. Use the speed control (10-200%) to practice slower or play faster.
- Is "Southern Man" easy to play on piano?
- This is a medium-difficulty arrangement. Most players can learn it within a few practice sessions using the speed control.
- Can I download sheet music for "Southern Man"?
- Yes — registered users can download PDF sheet music, plus MIDI and MusicXML files for use in other notation software.
- Who composed "Southern Man"?
- "Southern Man" was originally performed by Neil Young. The Super Simple Piano arrangement is simplified for beginner-to-intermediate players.
- What chords are used in "Southern Man"?
- This arrangement uses 6 chords: A, Bb, Dm, Fmaj7, G7, Gm.
- What other songs by Neil Young can I play here?
- Try "OLD MAN", "DOWN BY THE RIVER", "OUT ON THE WEEKEND". All are in our player with color-coded notes; pick the one matching your level.
- Is this the same notation a piano teacher would hand me?
- Yes — "Southern Man" is rendered at engraver quality (the Verovio engine, the same toolkit RISM and OpenScore editions use) from the original publisher MusicXML. You get standard piano notation: treble + bass clefs, key signature D, time signature, beams, dynamics — everything a printed sheet music book would have. Great for piano students learning to read music properly.
- What's the difference between Sheet Music and the other modes here?
- Sheet Music is the "classic" view — the one your piano teacher uses. Other modes (Beginner, Fall Down, Simple Sheet, Lead Sheet) trade real notation for color-coded notes and falling shapes to help absolute beginners. Use Sheet Music once you're ready to read both hands at once from real notation.
- Can I practice from this view at my own pace?
- Yes — slow the tempo from 80 BPM down (or up) without changing the pitch. The score scrolls in time and the currently playing note is highlighted, so you can drill a tough bar at half speed and bump it up once it feels comfortable.
- Why can I click a note in the score?
- Every notehead is interactive. Click and the audio jumps to that moment so you can drill a specific phrase or bar instead of replaying from the top. The currently playing note is highlighted as the music advances so your eye never loses its place.
- Can I download the sheet music as a PDF?
- Yes — Sheet Music PDF is one of the download formats for this song. The engraved score prints page-perfect on A4 / Letter so you can practice from paper as well as on screen.